Some 36 students last Friday received their traveling documents from the Chinese Embassy to pursue further various fields of study from undergraduate to doctorial level in China.
Addressing the students, the Chinese Ambassador Mr Qiu Shaofang said he was happy with the collaboration between the Chinese Embassy, and the Education and Foreign Affairs Ministries which has been going on since the establishment of diplomatic ties with Sierra Leone some 38 years ago.
He also cited the many exchanges and cooperative activities between the two countries which have yielded fruitful results in agriculture, energy, trade, health and infrastructure. He stressed the point that the friendship between the two nations on the opposite part of the world will continue to grow and nothing will stop such relationship.
Mr Shaofang said in the 2008 Beijing Summit for Sino-Africa, President Hu Jintao promised to build 100 rural schools in Africa and increase the number of Chinese government scholarships to African students from 2,000 to 4,000 yearly by 2009. It was because of this increase, he explained that Sierra Leone has 36 students this year, which is the largest contingent of students for one year.
The Ambassador said in the last three years, China has built two schools in Freetown and Bombali District respectively. He said he was happy for the students who will be leaving tomorrow (Tuesday) and told them since 1976 China has trained over 300 Sierra Leonean students under the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) in 20 major fields of study, such as engineering, medicine and agriculture.
He also commented on the successful visit of President Ernest Bai Koroma last May which he hoped would bring more developmental projects to Sierra Leone and consolidate the friendship between the two countries for a long time to come.
He said he is optimistic that the students leaving for China this year would be very successful in their endeavours and would return to help in the development of the country.
Also advising the student was Dr Momoh from the Sino-Sierra Leone Friendship Union who is also a graduate from China. He advised the students to take their studies seriously and to be ambassadors. He told them that China is now a force to reckon with and they would find China very interesting and the people very friendly.
In a short interview with Mr Pearce of the Ministry of Education who represented the Minister on the occasion, he was asked why is it that since 2007, some 37 students were excluded from the Government Grant in Aid, although the former Minister of Education Dr Alpha Wurie was making sure that every student who receives a scholarship from the Ministry or from the Chinese Embassy will receive a grant, and that the new minister has categorically told these 37 students that he doesn’t know them?
Mr Pearce in defense said the Minister is working within the rules and regulations of the ministry and also the country has a new Anti Corruption boss. When asked if his statement meant that the former minister Dr Alpha Wurie was corrupt and was not afraid of ACC by caring for students’ welfare. He said, “I didn’t say that, what I said is that there is a new ACC boss and the current Minister of Education Dr Minkailu Bah is working within the confines of the rules and regulations of the ministry”.
Of the 36 students leaving for China tomorrow, 17 of them received their scholarship directly from the Chinese Embassy and they will be joining the 37 students in China who have been practically disowned due to the change in the political dispensation of their country Sierra Leone.
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